When the light changes from white to yellow and the mornings are crisp and quiet, fall has arrived in Seattle. This is also the time of year when farmer’s markets are buzzing with activity and a wealth of produce. The surrounding farms welcome your visit and offer activities that will get you in fall spirit.
Pumpkin Cannon, Carleton Farms
This spooktober a visit to Carleton Farms will help Seattleites get in the haunting spirit and feel good by supporting regional agriculture. Taking the idea of pumpkin smashing to new heights, Carleton Farms in Lake Stevens will let you launch small pumpkins for $2 and large pumpkins for $3. Also, on Friday and Saturday nights they also have a haunted corn maze (and will be open extra nights around Halloween).
Apple Harvest Festival, Jones Creek Farms
There’s almost nothing sweeter than spending an afternoon with your friends in an apple orchard. Jones Creek Farms in Sedro-Woolley off of the North Cascades Highway offers tasty you-pick apples in a stunning environment. The weekend of October 19-21 is their annual Harvest Festival where apple (and pumpkin) enthusiasts gather their bounty.
Last year they had squash-apple soup, fresh caramel corn, and hot apple cider for sale to keep you warm in the cool afternoon fall sunlight.
With so many trees to choose from it can be a little overwhelming. Luckily they send you out with a little red wagon so you can ease your way up and down the paths while carefully making a selection. One of the best things about apple picking is the nicest looking apples may not be the sweetest and some of the weirdest looking ones taste like lemonade. Pick and taste away.
Find a New Tradition
There are so many farms in the Puget Sound all working to provide Seattleites, Washingtonians and the world with high quality food. Agricultural lands play a vital role in shaping the Puget Sound’s landscapes, culture, and environment. Seattleites are known for being cheerleaders of local agriculture with teeming farmers markets and CSA lists selling out. Puget Sound Fresh offers a farm guide and provides a central resource for learning about activities, such as harvest festivals, happening on various farms. Part of the fun of visiting a farm is taking the time to find it and a good place to start is with a favorite food and then investigating where it’s grown. Getting to know your farmer makes eating (and playing with your food) that much better.
